The return to blue and orange for the first time in 20 years is just one of the major brand changes planned for the soon-to-be American League club heading into next season.

This cap and jersey from the 1960s will be modernized for their return in 2013

In addition to the colour scheme making a return, the old cap logo from the 1980s will be back as well, albeit in a modernized form. The logo featured a white H on an orange star and was originally worn from 1965-1993. For 2013, the “H” will be in a different font.

The new Astros uniforms were described as very simple and traditional, a stripped down version of their original Astros uniforms (pictured throughout this article) which included the shooting star arching over the team script on their home jerseys. I have been told that this shooting star is absent from the new uniforms for 2013. Look for script similar to their road jerseys from this era.

As for the new Astros logo, I’ve been told it will be a new design for the team but similar to other recent new MLB team logos in San Diego and Washington, hard to get excited about that aspect of the new look.

A return to this, minus the shooting star and with a slightly changed font for “ASTROS” on the jersey is coming

These changes all sound very similar to what the Toronto Blue Jays did prior to the current season, a slightly modernized take on their classic club branding. Like the Blue Jays, this marks the end of an experimental era in the Astros team branding which had begun with the blue and gold look of 1994-99 and carried into brick and black from 2000-12.

Hopefully for the Astros the fans respond to the new look the way the fans of the Blue Jays did, of the thousands of uniforms rated by users on SportsLogos.Net, the three new Blue Jays uniforms for 2012 ranked first, second, and third.

I really like this idea. But still, they need to improve the team leaps and bounds before they are able to return to the winning form that got them to the 2005 World Series.

Chris Oglesby

going back to B&O is LONG overdue.

Ryan Dunsmore

I’m pretty curtain the Astros already have the new logo up in the park already. They just installed a new ̶e̶y̶e̶s̶o̶r̶e̶ billboard for “Houston-based corporations to build or refurbish youth baseball and softball fields in disadvantaged neighborhoods throughout the city”.All it’s really done is take away the view of downtown.

But also on this billboard…there is also the only blue signage (everything else is green) in the ballpark with Star-H logo on it.

Ironic that Wilson was pitching to Johnny Bench. Those two did not like each other and had saverel run-ins during their careers. Similar to when Clemens had to pitch to Piazza in an All-Star game. Don Wilson was a bad dude. Bill Buckner was flat out afraid of him.

Wait, THEY are going back to blue & orange!? Ugh, I guess for my Friars we have no choice now.. brown & orange for 2013. Ya hear that O’Malleys!

FUBLU

I love the color combo of Blue & White, but seriously if the Padres do nothing but change their colors to Brown, Orange, and White… it’ll actually work for them. I do not really care for those colors, but “The Friars” could pull it off as easily as the Cleveland Browns!

Chris

Amen my fellow Padre

Troy Griggsby

The home uni suddenly sounds boring without the shooting star. At least the H-star cap returns with a typeface update.

Aaron

I would probably suggest using the H star logo on the shoulder patch even if there is a circle around it. That would be a trade off of the shooting star over the jersey script. Although the shooting star over the jersey script would be interesting.

Horace

The Jays have really set the standard for adapting 70s/80s looks into this era. Glad to see the Astros going back to orange & blue; let’s hope the Padres get with the program soon.

Aaron

So am I glad they went back to the navy and orange, although I like their current colours. Since the Blue Jays, Astros are going back to their original colours, perhaps the Padres (brown/oroange), Marlins (teal/black/silver) and D-Backs (purple/teal/copper) will follow suit. Although the D-Backs look pretty sharp in their current ones and are doing okay in them. The red looks closer to burgandy and adding sand really does give it that desert feel. The Rays I doubt because they’ve had more success with the navy and columbia blue then their green and black. Even though green, columbia blue with a splash of gold would be pretty unique. And I think we all know the Angels aren’t in such a hurry to return to navy and red anytime soon. The Mariners also have had more success with their navy and teal.

the original font is fine for the cap…hope they dont do what UH did. i’d love to see the shooting star. the best uniforms are classics not by committee or from a catalogue

AL FLORES

yawn

Aaron

I wonder if the Astros will use orange caps as an alternate?

Joe

Best thing the Astros should do is:

use the orange caps for home games and blue caps for away games like they did in the early 80’s.

Todd Levinson

I like the retro look and colors…wish they would incoporate the shooting star though. I’ve disliked most of Houston’s recent uniforms…even the tequila sunrise look is more appealing than anything they have had in the past 15 or so years. Plus,it is getting a little tiring seeing almost every baseball team clad in a red uniform lately,whether it’s a retro jersey or third jersey,along everyday ones…the White Sox and Cleveland in their retro ones this year, and LA Angels,Atlanta,Texas,Arizona,Washington,Philadelphia,as well as Houston’s current one. Cincinnati,Boston,and St. Louis are excused,lol, because of their names…but come on everyone else.

guy

Angels, Nationals, Braves, Rangers, all have some form of navy blue and red, which for me is really monotonous. I don’t really feel like the Phillies deserve to be included in that list. Phillies don’t use red as the main color for the whole uniform… it’s either off white, white/red pinstripes or grey for the uniforms. Phillies have blue caps for the alt, but they’re dark blue, not navy, and I find the off-white/cream unique enough on its own.

Now, if they went back to the maroon/light blue though for their alternate, that would be freakin sweet.

Todd Levinson

I agree the Phillies should go back to the wine color…they still have enough red in their uniforms to bore me,lol…especially since at one time they used blue and yellow as their colors.

guy

I’m a Phils fan so I’m naturally biased (*shrugs*), but I can agree at least on the point that too many teams have similar color schemes, be it red or, what I’m really bored of, some kind of navy blue/white combo. Not to mention all the damn red/white/blue combinations (Nats, Braves, Rangers)! If teams insist on keeping those three, it would help to put some kind of unique twist on it, and the Phils cream colored alt does a pretty nice job.

Orange and blue is great, the star H cap is great as well, let’s see how the uniform will turn out. And please an alternate cap in orange with a blue star! The D Backs should stick to their current colours, the Padres need to go back to brown and gold or orange. The Marlins? I give up. Their current logo and uniforms are painstakingly ugly but they will never go back to the original teal, black and silver and, more importantly, their cool original logos.

Aaron

You’re right. The D-Backs current scheme is just fine considering they’ll be the only team in the NL West wearing red and it’s a darker red. And the fact the Rockies already wear purple. If it were either of those teams switching to the AL West, both teams could wear purple. As for the Padres, brown and orange looks better than brown and gold unless they decide to use sand to act as gold. For the Marlins, I guess if they have success in their current unis, they’d probably just tweak them slightly. Hopefully to something more simplified.

FUBLU

I seriously hope they at least consider using the font from the mid to late 90’s!?! If he’s calling himself taking a lil bit from this era and a lil bit from that era, I seriously hope he adds something “SPACE” to the uniforms! Ugh…. smh

rpmaddox2000

Chris, the “no shooting star” comment seems to conflict with Larry Dierker’s comments from a telecast about a month ago regarding the new unforms for 2013. From what I understand, Larry said the 2013 uniforms look a great deal like the original shooting star uniforms, except that the star was “open” and not “closed” like the blue shooting star.

Aaron

If that’s the case, it would definitely combine a few eras of Astros baseball. Think about, the open star as the shooting star with the H star logo. Cool

Benjamin J. Douthett

Here’s an idea: Go back to the “atom” logo, only replace the Astrodome with Minute Maid Park.

Aaron

Here’s a logo idea…

You can use the star and H logo combined with the state of Texas for their main and shoulder patch logo. As much as I like the current star logo, the star and H logo is very classic.

Brian Bishop

Definitely saw this coming and like the retro look revisited with a few modern touches. If the information presented in the article above is indeed accurate I have to say I am a little disappointed in the lack of the shooting star on the uniform. I am all for a classy uniform that is not too busy or contrived but the lack of the shooting star is a mistake in my opinion. Love the idea of a re-stylized version of the “H” star caps and with the exception of the shooting star missing I really like what I have read so far about the changes for 2013. It will be interesting to actually see the exact font that is mentioned for the wordmark on both the home and road uniforms too. Over the past several years at Minute Maid Park you see with more frequency fans wearing blue/orange Astros apparel and the gift shop (The Shed) and many Houston-area sports apparel stores began to carry more blue/orange items as well. The organization seemed to understand the undercurrent of support for the blue/ornage but the true fans at large. Looking forward to 2013. It’s been a tough couple of years and there are more ahead but that’s what makes being a fan even more rewarding. I didn’t get into baseball because of the National or American Leagues. I got into baseball because of the Astros. I am an Astros fan!

Aaron

If you think about it, the atom logo could be used almost as is. Just shrink the Adtrodome slightly with legs and you might see a spaceship.

AL FLORES

yawn was supposed to be a reply to pork chop

Aaron

I meant Astrodome. I didn’t realize I misspelled it.

Stephen Peters

I sent a uni tweak to Uni-Watch a little while back about the Astros revision. It was basically the same as what I am reading here.

so the success of the new uniform and logo depends only on the font chosen. If the logo is in style with Washington and San Diego, we can assume in the middle of the circle logo will be H and star, and around will be written Houston Astros baseball club. Also the script on the uniform will be simple without shooting star, so the whole burden is on that typeface. Toronto went back to modernized original, but Houston’s original is not special, it’s typical font, so they better do something new and creative, or they’ll be looking like any other jersey ordered from catalog for local softball team.

Rob

The shooting star was the BEST part of the 60’s style uni. Leaving it off is stupid.

I like a lot of elements of that portfolio design, but I’ve got issues with two things – the font is completely boring. Seems to me the name Astros requires there to be a motion effect to the font. Also, no stripes going down the sleeves. That is a tacky 80s relic that should stay in the 80s.

Overall, I love going to a navy blue and orange and would love to see the orange hat with blue star and white H for the home hat and a blue hat with orange star and white H for the road hat. Ideally, the Astros would just bring back a modernized version of the shooting star uniform, with maybe a modernized font and putting the shooting star under the script Astros instead of above it.

Hey Ho Where Did You Go!?

The Blue Jays ranked first, second, and third? No love for Baltimore?

Chris Creamer

Baltimore’s new home uniform ranked high, but not above any of the new Jays uniforms

dave

Have you heard any rumblings about the Braves changing uniforms (I have not)? I would have thought they would have done so for 2011, to signify a new era after Bobby Cox retired (and certainly for 2013, to begin a new era without Chipper). I’d like to see them take the cream colored “throwback” uniform, make it white, and use it as the official home uniform, and then develop the away and alternate unis based on that design. I think the tomahawk has just about reached its shelf life, and it’s time for something else. But hey, that’s just me.

Chris Creamer

From what I’ve heard the Braves are staying exactly the same

Czech24

Well this is one fan that won’t be wasting money on that crap. There is a reason it was done and changed back I the 90’s. no one wears that old crap and no one wants it back. Nice call Crane

Robert Wayne

I’ve been an Astros fan for years, since the early ’70s. Now that they’re trying to improve the uniform, why can’t they make the players wear baseball pants the way they’re supposed to be worn, ending about halfway between the knee and the ankle and with stirrups and sanitary socks. This tacky, stupid way of wearing what looks like bellbottom golfing pants over the shoes makes the players look like a bunch of midgets wearing the pants of a group of extremely tall players. Either that, or they’re wearing the team trainer’s pants.